Joe Dombrowski, the newest member of UAE Team Emirates, should have been targeting the Giro d'Italia this spring, but instead - like many of his teammates and colleagues - he is waiting to see when and if the cycling season will resume! I noticed that.

"As a team, we've gotten off to a great start this year, with 11 wins in the first two months. We worked hard during the winter off-season and it seems to have paid off. We came into every race with our tails between our legs and were able to win with momentum on our side. Of course, it was unfortunate that we had to stop the races, but if you take a step back and look at the big picture, as sportsmen, this was not just about us and it was the right decision."

After five years with the EF Pro Cycling team led by Jonathan Vaughters and its predecessor Cannondale, Dombrowski moved to UAE Team Emirates for the 2020 season, making his racing debut at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana.

"Overall, I had a good start, but in Spain I had a couple of crashes that put me off. But this was my first opportunity to ride with Tadej Pogacar and I was really happy, especially when he won so convincingly."

Pogacar won two of the five stages to take the overall win by six seconds over Jack Hague (Mitchelton-Scott) and Tao Geoghegan Hart (Team Ineos).

"Tadei is a very special talent and looks to have a great future ahead of him," Dombrowski said.

The 28-year-old American climber from Spain moved on to the five-day Volta ao Algarve.

"I felt pretty good and strong in the next race in Portugal. I was there to support Rui Costa, so it wasn't a race where I was chasing my own results, and the UAE Team Emirates has a lot of talent, so it was a good opportunity for me to get a good result. Costa finished fourth overall, 56 seconds behind overall winner Remco Evenpole (Deceuninck-Quickstep).

"In my mind, this race confirmed my reasons for joining UAE Team Emirates.

This race was Dombrowski's second and final race of the 2020 season.

"When I get back to racing, I want to show the team that with hard work, focus, and a little luck, I have some freedom. If the season hadn't been stopped, it would have been a good spring for me."

"Before the interruption, I was in Nice, France, with my wife, but a few weeks ago I returned to the United States," Dombrowski explained. 'In Nice, we live in the port downtown, so it's very difficult for us to get out and cycle. Since we live in a much more rural area in the U.S., we thought it would be a good time to move. Generally speaking, Nice has become our home, but we go back to the US for vacations."

Unlike the cases in France, Italy, and Spain during the coronavirus blockade, Dombrowski is allowed to train outdoors in the US.

"It is important to stay in shape during this rest period, as it gives me a chance to focus on things that are often neglected during the racing season, such as strength and mobility training."

Dombrowski said his main goal for the first half of the season was the Giro. Instead, the tentative dates for the three-week race in Italy were changed from October 3 to October 25. If Dombrowski were to compete in this race, he would improve on his best Grand Tour result to date, 12th overall in last year's Giro.

"I am optimistic that I will be able to continue racing later this year, and once I have a clearer picture of what that will look like, everyone can start thinking seriously about their goals. It's not often that pro cyclists get to spend a lot of time with their families at this time of year, and I'm grateful for that."